Cathy Drennan Explained

Cathy Drennan
Citizenship:American
Alma Mater:Vassar College
University of Michigan
Workplaces:MIT
Thesis Title:Crystallographic studies of FMN and Vitamin B12 Dependent Enzymes: Flavodoxin and Methionine Synthase
Thesis Url:https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/104452
Doctoral Advisor:Martha L. Ludwig
Academic Advisors:Douglas C. Rees

Catherine (Cathy) Drennan is an American biochemist and crystallographer. She is the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Biochemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Early life and education

Drennan grew up in New York with her parents (a medical doctor and anthropologist). She received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Vassar College, working in the laboratory of Professor Miriam Rossi.[1] After college, Drennan spent time as high school science and drama teacher, in a quaker run school in Iowa.[2] [3] She received her PhD in biological chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1995, working in the laboratory of the late Professor Martha L Ludwig. Drennan's thesis is titled "Crystallographic studies of FMN and Vitamin B12 Dependent Enzymes: Flavodoxin and Methionine Synthase".[4] [5]

After her PhD, she joined Douglas Rees as a postdoctoral fellow in the California Institute of Technology.[6] During her time as a postdoctoral fellow, in 1997, she started and led the undergraduate poster competition at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) annual meeting. She also served on the ASBMB Education and Professional Development Committee. [7]

Drennan is dyslexic, but believes this has advantages in science, "don't listen to what anyone tells you what you can or cannot do...there is no dyslexia ceiling".[8] At high school, Drennan was told "she was probably not even going to graduate high school because of her dyslexia".[9]

Research

Drennan joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Drennan focuses on innovation in education and fundamental research.[10] She is interested in the future of college classrooms and creating a positive learning environment for diverse groups of students.[11] She is recognized for her contributions to science pedagogy. In 2006 Drennan was named an HHMI Professor and awarded a $1 million grant to support educational initiatives for "Getting Biologists Excited about Chemistry".[12]

Drennan has studied enzymes that employ vitamin B12 since she was a graduate student.[13] Her research focus is metalloproteins and metalloenzymes, and developing structural approaches to visualize enzymes.[14] [15] [16] Her group uses X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to characterize metalloproteins in action. She is interested in conformational change during catalysis.[17] Her work also contributes to protecting the environment, as metals act as molecular helpers in chemical reactions.[18] Drennan is the author of over 100 Protein Data Bank submissions.[19]

Awards and honors

Notes and References

  1. News: Section Head profile: Cathy Drennan - F1000 Blogs. 2011-11-23. F1000 Blogs. 2018-02-10. en-GB.
  2. Web site: SBGrid Consortium - Tales - Catherine Drennan - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. sbgrid.org. en. 2018-02-10.
  3. News: Catherine Drennan • iBiology. iBiology. 2018-02-10. en-US.
  4. Web site: Catherine L. Drennan, Ph.D. Biological Chemistry Michigan Medicine University of Michigan. medicine.umich.edu. 9 October 2015 . en. 2018-02-10.
  5. Luschinsky. Drennan, Catherine. 1995. Crystallographic studies of FMN and vitamin B(12) dependent enzymes: Flavodoxin and methionine synthase.. 2027.42/104452. Thesis . en.
  6. Web site: Is the Classroom Lecture Becoming Extinct or Simply Evolving? -- Talk & Discussion by Dr. Catherine Drennan, MIT. - Caltech Center for Teaching, Learning, & Outreach (CTLO). www.ctlo.caltech.edu. en. 2018-02-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180210235110/https://www.ctlo.caltech.edu/events/54413. 2018-02-10. dead.
  7. Web site: First class . 2023-10-13 . www.asbmb.org . en.
  8. Web site: What Every Person With Dyslexia Should Know with MIT Professor Cathy Drennan Elisheva Schwartz. www.elishevaschwartz.com. en-US. 2018-02-10.
  9. Web site: Catherine Drennan. dyslexiahelp.umich.edu. en. 2018-02-10.
  10. Web site: Catherine L Drennan Drennan Lab. drennan.mit.edu. en-US. 2018-02-10.
  11. Web site: Is the Classroom Lecture Becoming Extinct or Simply Evolving? -- Talk & Discussion by Dr. Catherine Drennan, MIT. - Caltech Graduate Studies Office. www.gradoffice.caltech.edu. en. 2018-02-10.
  12. Web site: Dr. Catherine L. Drennan « The Education Group. educationgroup.mit.edu. en-US. 2018-02-15.
  13. News: A natural light switch. MIT News. 2018-02-10.
  14. Web site: Catherine L. Drennan - CIFAR : CIFAR. www.cifar.ca. en-US. 2018-02-10.
  15. Web site: Research Interests Drennan Lab. drennan.mit.edu. en-US. 2018-02-10.
  16. Web site: Publications Drennan Lab. drennan.mit.edu. en-US. 2018-02-10.
  17. Web site: Catherine Drennan – MIT Department of Biology. biology.mit.edu. en-US. 2018-02-10.
  18. Web site: Cathy Drennan - Meet a Chemist - ChemHealthWeb - Science Publication - National Institute of General Medical Sciences. publications.nigms.nih.gov. en. 2018-02-10.
  19. Bank. RCSB Protein Data. RCSB PDB - Search Results. en.
  20. Web site: Department of Chemistry: Reports to the President 2000-2001. web.mit.edu. 2018-02-10.
  21. Web site: Department of Chemistry: Reports to the President 2001-2002. web.mit.edu. 2018-02-10.
  22. Web site: The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Program Archive. grants.nih.gov. en. 2018-02-10.
  23. Web site: ASBMB Young Investigator Award. www.asbmb.org. 2018-02-10.
  24. Web site: Cathy L. Drennan Office of the President. president.umich.edu. en. 2018-02-10.
  25. Web site: 2005 Recipients Awards Convocation. awards.mit.edu. en. 2018-02-10.
  26. News: Catherine L. Drennan, PhD HHMI.org. HHMI.org. 2018-02-10. en.
  27. News: Jesmyn Ward urges patience, persistence on path to success. The University Record. 2018-02-10.
  28. Web site: New Members. American Academy of Arts & Sciences. en. 2020-04-28.
  29. Web site: McElvery . Raleigh . 2020-03-13 . Cathy Drennan earns Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Award . 2023-10-13 . MIT Department of Biology . en-US.
  30. Web site: 2021 ASBMB Fellows . 2023-10-13 . www.asbmb.org . en.
  31. Web site: Fellows . 2023-10-13 . www.amercrystalassn.org.
  32. Web site: 2023-05-03 . Catherine Drennan elected to National Academy of Sciences – MIT Department of Chemistry . 2023-10-13 . en-US.

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